The Tree Stump Litter (Orphan Ferals) Adopted in Pairs

Acorn, Twig, Screech, and Barkley were found on September 25, 2023, in a tree stump in Lancaster, SC. Mom had been attacked by either a coyote or a dog and had moved the kittens to the stump for safety. She was with kittens when she died. In fact, her body had to be moved to get to the crying kittens. And even more sadly, it looked like mom had been deceased for a few days.

The kittens were almost four weeks old then, so we will call their birthday September 4, 2023. They were malnourished, dehydrated, and covered in fleas. A foster with Heart of a Lion Rescue stabilized them over the first 24 hours before calling me to see if I could take them. Quote from the foster: “I’m not sure any of them are going to live.” We thought they had a respiratory infection, but they were actually covered in dirt and debris, which made it look like they had runny eyes and a runny nose. It took two full baths to settle the dust.

The good news is all four kittens recovered quickly after getting hydration and nutrition. And all four were great bottle feeders, which is unusual for kittens used to nursing on a mom. They were, of course, small for their age, but they filled out quickly and caught up after a couple weeks.

Update October 16, 2023: Screech and Acorn were adopted together.

Update October 19, 2023: Twig and Barkley were adopted with Wonder.

The Tree Stump